A series finally depicting Hal Jordan and John Stewart from DC Comics? Starring Kyle Chandler as Hal and Rebel Ridge’s Aaron Pierre? After Ryan Reynolds delivered an unrecognizable Hal in the Green Lantern movie, other than being a bit old for the role, Chandler could make it work. Then DC released the first trailer for its series Lanterns… and it’s a head scratcher. On the one hand, the first look preview shows a drama that has some promise–two opposites work together on some kind of crime-solving case. Pierre’s Stewart looks and sounds right. But what’s with the accent and attitude of Chandler’s Hal? Is he sick? Is he under some kind of spell? He doesn’t act anything like classic Hal. And that may be the issue… at least for fans of the classic character. Only the smallest clues and quick images show this is a Green Lantern tie-in. Chandler’s take doesn’t resemble Hal at all. So is this James Gunn’s team trying to copy the biggest success of Marvel by making its own twist on Logan with a cranky Old Man Hal Jordan?
Fans of Hal going back to Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams’ original days of the characters have been waiting for someone to put these guys on the screen for literally decades. So why choose this version? And what’s with ignoring the kid audience by including all the F-bombs?
See what you think. Here’s the first look at DC’s Lanterns:
It’s a broken record with DC Entertainment as it chooses to snub the content they are known for–ignoring everything that’s made DC Comics grab readers for more than 80 years. Young creators at the studios keep snatching the most recent incarnation of characters in favor of the classic versions. Which is why the last TV series truly loyal to the comics was the original The Incredible Hulk and the 1990 Flash TV series, with Arrow being a good effort. Since then DC creators and writers have doubted the confidence in the original stories and heroes. They don’t need to. The answer is simple–stop trying to reinvent, change, and update characters that already are loved by fans. And enough with all the efforts to be gritty–Peacemaker, Doom Patrol, Suicide Squad, and The Boys are already there for that audience.
As a crime drama, if we forget this is a comic book show, and forget the nostalgia, the actors–both who have turned in great performances before–can probably turn this into a good show. But it looks like another superhero series changing its characters for the times, or what some studio wonks see as required to appease the masses.
Lanterns begins streaming on HBO Max later this year.
C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg
